S-0309.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5168

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Shin, Sheahan, Franklin, Rasmussen, Costa, Horn, Prentice, Brown, Morton, Fairley, Constantine, McCaslin, McAuliffe and Kohl‑Welles

Read first time 01/12/2001.  Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

Changing provisions regarding technology fees at institutions of higher education.

    AN ACT Relating to technology fees; and amending RCW 28B.15.051.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 28B.15.051 and 1996 c 142 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The governing board of each of the state universities, the regional universities, ((and)) The Evergreen State College, and each of the community or technical colleges, upon the written agreement of its respective student government association or its equivalent, may establish and charge each enrolled student a technology fee, separate from tuition fees.  During the 1996-97 academic year, any technology fee shall not exceed one hundred twenty dollars for a full-time student.  Any technology fee charged to a part-time student shall be calculated as a pro rata share of the fee charged to a full-time student.

    (2) Revenue from this fee and the state general fund match shall be used exclusively for technology resources for general student use.

    (3) Only changes in the amount of the student technology fee agreed upon by both the governing board and its respective student government association or its equivalent shall be used to adjust the amount charged to students.  Changes in the amount charged to students, once implemented, become the basis for future changes.

    (4) Annually, the student government association or its equivalent may abolish the fee by a majority vote.  In the event of such a vote, the student government association or its equivalent shall notify the governing board of the institution.  The fee shall cease being collected the term after the student government association or its equivalent voted to eliminate the fee.

    (5) The student government association or its equivalent shall approve the annual expenditure plan for the fee revenue.

    (6) After one year of collection and expenditures, the technology fees collected by each of the colleges or universities shall be matched by the state on a dollar-for-dollar basis.  The maximum annual state general fund match per campus shall be four hundred fifty thousand dollars.

(7) The universities ((and)), The Evergreen State College, and the community and technical colleges shall deposit three and one-half percent of revenues from the technology fee, including the state general fund match, into the institutional financial aid fund under RCW 28B.15.820.

    (((7))) (8) As used in this section, "technology fee" is a fee charged to students to recover, in whole or in part, the costs of providing and maintaining services to students that include, but need not be limited to:  Access to the internet and world wide web, e-mail, computer and multimedia work stations and laboratories, computer software, and dial-up telephone services.

    (((8))) (9) Prior to the establishment of a technology fee, a governing board shall provide to the student governing body a list of existing fees of a similar nature or for a similar purpose.  The board and the student governing body shall ensure that student fees for technology are not duplicative.

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